Métal (1979)
by Paco Rabanne

A terrifically fresh, dry, green floral sustained by a strange, compelling metallic and oily (in the sense of olive oil) note. I usually abhor the metallic notes in modern masculines, which come off as sharp and unpleasant. Metal, ironically, smells mineral but not at all like those horrors. In a way, it reminds me of Amouage Silver, which pairs a metallic note with rosy flowers. But while Amouage silver feels a little uncomfortable and risks falling into the fresh sporty metal at any time, Metal never veers off course and manages to smell fresh, floral and astringent throughout. It's slowly inching its way up among my favorites.

27th September, 2011.

P.R Metal is like a cold blade glading across flesh
almost give a sense of vircera Secerations Magnifiques
without the blood and iodine, There is nothing soft
about this, Clean and Antiseptic lines make you think
of a monochrome colored room free of clutter there is
nothing execpt a large screen white chair staring at
a man controling your emotions thoughts like Big Brother a clinical utopia a Minimalistic Aestheticism in a bottle, Bladerunner's Femme Fatale and replicant Rachael must have worn this when trying to seduce
Deckard only the most iciest femme fatales can pull
this off there's no cozy Ambers no spices or warm
resins an unique scent that does'nt follow any rules a class of it's self.

13rd February, 2011.

For all the specific floral notes I can make out in Metal (lily of the valley, hyacinth, narcissus?) this gorgeous fragrance doesn’t seem like a floral. Even with the connections to other green florals (Chamade, le Temps d’une Fete) and aldehydic florals (No 19) that I can detect, Metal stands in its own category. The only other scents truly akin to it are alike in their abstract construction, not in the similarity of their notes or categorization. Nahema comes to mind for the fact that its overall feel seems yards away from (and at a right angle to) its individual notes. But Metal doesn’t smell anything like Nahema. Qualities of oiliness, flintiness, astringency bend the floralcy in Metal totally out of shape. What we wind up with is not so much synergy as (pardon the metal analogy) amalgam.

I guess what I dig is that it doesn’t seem so much to bridge categories as create a new one. Flinty green metallics? Oily bittersweets? Venomous gourmand antagonists? However it comes about, Metal remains exciting to me each and every time I smell it, and whatever the fragrance family, this is one I would keep if (heaven forbid) I were obliged to keep only 5 scents.

29th November, 2010. (Last Edited: 12nd January, 2011.)

Great stuff in comparison to contemporary concoctions. I tend to second the Turin/Sanchez description. The start envelopes some white flowers - muguet including homeopathic doses of hydroxycitronellal. Interesting on its own, a very brief introduction to time in perfumery.
Then a hissy, nearly scentless but even the more present green comes up. It is accompanied by a warm but light woody aroma that fits to a female body as smooth as skin.

Wearing the fragrance partly on cloths, example given sprayed under the shirt would highlightens the hissy green to much for my taste.

16th August, 2010.

I never could wear Calandre. As much as I admired it on others, it never worked for me. This one I could make my own. I for one DO get the metal in Métal, a bright silvery foil quality that makes me think of aluminum countertops, or chrome fixtures. It almost hurts the fillings in my teeth. The juxtaposition of that against the green spicy galbanum, sweet florals, powdery aldehydes, dusty earthy iris (?), woods (some cedar?) in the drydown, is fascinating to me. It's not gimmicky, it's just beautifully composed and definitely full bottle worthy. If you are interested in greens this one should be on your "to try" list. I've read the creator was Robert Gonnon, who also created Anais Anais, O de Lancome, and Lancome Sikkim.

16th August, 2010.

I'm such a sucker for marketing. I remember seeing this in department stores when it first came out. Loved the bottle. Loved the name...Metal...so mysterious. But a boy can't wear a womens perfume. Well, times have changed. I have always loved Paco Rabanne Pour Homme and decided to revisit Metal as a possible fragrance. Got a mini. The opening notes didn't impress very much...but now I'm an hour into the drydown and it's wonderful. Can't stop smelling it. For a thirty year old fragrance, it's surprisingly modern. Nothing metallic about it at all. Of course, Calandre is named for a Model T car grille (let's just assume Paco R. is at heart, DaDa!).
Everything old is new again. Came out in 1979 at the height of the disco era, but if anything, I'd say it's a throwback to classic scents of the 20's and 30's (again, in a modern way).
Metal, once it dries down, is decidedly suitable for a man. Woodsy with a hint of floral. Really pleasant...aromatherapeutic...can't wait to try Calandre now.

19th April, 2010.